RULES for the Scary Stuff...

Luci didn't come to school yesterday. She wasn't there when I went to recess, or to lunch, or to walk home with after school. B-O-R-I-N-G! Without your best friend, the days are long and empty and boring and sad. So I was already sad about that.

Then my teacher told me that I would have to choose another partner for spelling check because Luci would be gone for a whole week! WHAT? A WHOLE WEEK! She didn't even tell me about that. She always calls me about things. That's when I got worried. "Luci went to stay with her grandma for a week," Ms. Clay said. A WHOLE WEEK... AT HER GRANDMA'S HOUSE?! She would have told me all about that because nothing is better than going to Grandmas! She would have told me over and over about 23 days in a row about something that exciting and great!

So, inside I knew that something was wrong. VERY VERY WRONG.
Maybe Luci was kid-napped or something. I looked at my teacher real hard. I could tell that she thought she was telling me the whole truth. But sometimes, people don't know about everything and maybe she got a phone call that said what she said they said but maybe what they said wasn't the whole truth, because maybe they were the kidnappers! HOW COULD MY VERY BEST FRIEND BE KID-NAPPED?

Once or maybe 13 times when I was little, I worried about kidnappers, because Reggie told everybody at recess that kidnappers tie you up and then throw you away forever. But my mom said I didn't need to be afraid, I just needed to be wise and aware...and she told me all about the stranger stuff...so I was even way more scared about what if and stuff and I couldn't let it go... until finally mom said I could just remember three things if I ever get kid-napped and then I would be fine. And that worked for me. Plus, when I think about it: FOREVER means Heaven and that means we are okay again...so even IF the worst thing happens...then it really doesn't! I was hoping that I told Luci about the three things. My eyes started to get a little teary right then because maybe Luci was kid-napped and tied up to a tree or something and I can't remember if I told her those 3 things. OH NO! I needed to help her! Oh, Luci...please remember the three kidnapped rules and the part about FOREVER:

#1: We will never ever stop looking for you because we love you. (and I know that is true...because I never will ever forget Luci.
#2: Heavenly Father knows right where you are AT.
#3: Be calm and listen to the Holy Ghost, so you will know what to do and what not to do and when. I should have told her all about that over and over.

I never have to worry again because I know the rules about kidnapping. But I should have told them to Luci 100 times.

Then school was almost out and my teacher told me that I could go get my coat and call my mom when she saw that my tears would not melt back in (no matter how high I raised my eyebrows and looked up at the ceiling or how many times I wiped off my face with my sleeves). THIS CANNOT BE HAPPENING TO ME. Luci is my best friend. People can NOT just come and kidnap your best friend.

"Mom, Luci is gon-n-n-n-e," I cried into the office phone. Because when I heard her voice...all of my brave disappeared and I sorta moaned my words out. She told me to calm down a little and to tell her again. "Moooommmmm, Lu-u-u-c-i-i- is go-o-h-h-hon-n-n-n-ne." The office lady put her arm around me and gave me the whole kleenex box. Mom knew that I was having a streak of a panic too, because she talked very quietly and calmly: "Honey, I will be right there. Let me talk to the secretary for a minute and you just stay right there. I am coming." So I gave the phone to the secretary and I sat in a chair and kept pulling the tissues out one by one because my tears just kept racing down my face and I just kept thinking about my best kid-napped friend.

When my mom came, she hugged me and told me that everything would be all right. In the car on the way home she asked: "Honey, what's the matter? Why are you so sad?" And that's when I told her that Luci was kid-napped and that I had to save her...plus, we needed to make flyers and put them on every tree in the whole town. She pulled the car over right then and held me, "Hadley K, who told you that? Luci wasn't kid-napped! She is just fine, honey. She is probably baking cookies with her grandma right now."

"Mom, she would have told me if she was going to her grandmas." And then I thought about my mom's question and about my answer: NO ONE told me that Luci was kid-napped...that's WHO. NOBODY! So she wasn't! She wasn't kidnapped. Oh brother. I used up all the kleenex in the whole entire school principle's office for nothing because Luci was probably baking cookies right now. I can't believe that she didn't even tell me! She better save me one of those cookies in a little baggie thingy... that's all. Actually two of them. But when I looked at my mom...I could tell...that wasn't ALL.

"Honey, you know that Luci's mom has not been feeling well for a while. Well, the doctors just told her that she has cancer and they are trying to help her. "What?" I looked at my mom. "Cancer?" That word gave me the heebie jeebs...because it is a very very bad word and I don't want Luci's mom to have that word. Mom got all quiet again and said, "The doctors are going to do surgery, so Luci will be staying with her grandmother for a week. They just found out, or I think Luci would have called you." I felt stuck to the words and could not move. "What is the surgery thingy about mom?" I asked. She told me that the doctors would do all they could to help Luci's mom because she was very sick.

And then mom had a great idea. "Hadley, maybe you could make a get well card for Luci's mom? I think that would cheer her up.

I got out the paper and markers and took my time so it would be a good card and cheer her up a real lot. Then I had another idea to make a card for Luci too. And I am glad that I made those cards...well...because for the first thing... it will make them feel better and for the next thing, it made me feel better. I don't like it when I can't do anything to help people when they have surgery. OHHH, she will have to have real shots and real stitches too. But, mom says that you can always help people, even if you don't have any markers for a card or even if you're not the doctor. You can always say a prayer for them. And I said extra prayers for Luci's mom because Luci really really needs her mom.

When the phone rang, I thought it was Luci...and it was! She sounded a little sad and she told me that she was at her grandma's house. I didn't tell her that I already knew that, because sometimes it is nicer to let people say it again if they want. She told me that she would be there for the whole week. Hmmm. I already knew that part too and I almost told her, but she was still talking and so I just let it go. She said that her mom was going to have surgery. OH boy! I almost said something right then...because I already knew all of that...but maybe she needed to say it to me...and so I listened to her like my mom had listened to me. I think listening sometimes makes people feel better some way. Luci said, "Would you take my library book back for me?" And I said. "Yes, I will Luci. I would be honored to take it back for you" plus, it was already at my house because it was the book about birds and she had really checked it out for me anyway! And then she told me that her mom has cancer. And right then, I was glad that I already knew about that...because I told her that I made a card for her mom and said some prayers about her mom and I could tell that she was cheered up a little about that. Then I asked if she was making cookies or anything and she said "No, because we were all fasting for my mom." And right then, she had to go because her grandma wanted all of the kids to come for a blessing and have dinner. "Good-bye Hadley." "Good-bye Luci.

I sorta just sat there. You have to have your mom. You have to. This whole thing was bigger than me and Luci put together. I wanted to stop everything and get it all figured out. I couldn't think about my homework. I almost forgot to feed Scruffy. At dinner, I pushed the food around on my plate and then put the peas in straight lines. When people are too sad, then food doesn't taste like anything and you just have to chew it and swallow it anyway. I saw the paperboy riding his bike on his way to soccer practice. How can people just chew gum and ride bikes and go play soccer right now when Luci's mom has to have surgery? Mom said that we should mail the cards to Luci's grandma's house first thing tomorrow. I hope my cards will make them happy again. I put alot of pink on Luci's because she extra love, love, loves pink!

I couldn't even sleep last night because I kept thinking about Luci's mom. I have to sort out all of my ideas into piles and rows in my mind. And right when the grandfather clock donged for eleven times (opps! that is very late!) I decided to say one more prayer about the cancer thing. I knelt on top of my bed...because...well... I am not afraid like when I was little or anything...but I have a thing about not having my feet on the floor in the dark. Because right by my bed is (right by) UNDER my bed. And just then I remembered about Daniel and how he prayed even if he was scared of going down by those hungry lions and when he decided that Heavenly Father was in charge, then Daniel wasn't afraid at all and he just marched right down into that den and petted all of those lions on the head...and then I decided that I needed to have great faith...so I turned my bed lamp on and knelt down on the floor. I can usually tell when my prayers just hit the ceiling and come back down. But I needed this one to keep going. I explained everything to Heavenly Father about Luci's mom. I know that He already knows everything about her, but I wanted to tell Him how Luci needs her mom real real bad. And when I said AMEN...then I jumped real quick back up on my bed and pulled the covers up fast. I didn't really want the light off, but I waited for a minute or 12 and then I turned it off real quick and closed my eyes. I think that is right at the moment when I got an instantly idea in my head. All of a sudden I knew the rules about Cancer and about being really really really sick and about Forever and about LIFE and about all the Surgery and Scary Stuff. They were the same rules about Kidnapping Things! I have to tell Luci about them when I see her and then she will not have to worry anymore.

I turned the lamp back on and got a paper and pencil quick before I forgot.

RULES ABOUT SURGERY AND BEING REALLY SICK AND ABOUT LIFE AND ALL THE SCARY STUFF:

#1: WE WILL NEVER EVER stop LOVING YOU

#2: HEAVENLY FATHER KNOWS RIGHT WHERE YOU ARE AT (He Loves us and He Knows where people should be when... and He knows why.)

#3: BE CALM AND LISTEN TO THE HOLY GHOST, SO YOU WILL KNOW WHAT TO DO AND WHAT NOT TO DO AND WHEN to do or not to do it.

Then I decided to add my very own rule,

RULE #4: FOREVER MEANS FOREVER. WE CAME HERE TO GET THERE AND THERE IS FOREVER AND EVER AND EVER AND EVER...So nothing can really be too sad if I think about it! I started to write down all the rules on Luci's card because she is my very best friend.

...and all of a sudden my eyes started to go to sleep without me and so I pulled the covers up again and fell asleep without even a teensy beansy weensy worry at all.